It was billed as, "The performance
of the night ... that blows our coaches away."

Little did anyone know "The Voice"
was teasing a former child star who courageously fought off a life of addiction.

Nor did they know just how strong
Alisan Porter's voice is - or how easily she would net four "I Want You" red
chair turns.

Porter began acting in commercials
at the age of 3. By 5, she was on "Star Search." At 8, she starred in the John
Hughes film "Parenthood." Two years later, she played the title character in
"Curly Sue."

While's she's best known for
appearing in the 1991 family comedy, Porter also worked on Broadway, in
"Footloose" and "A Chorus Line."

"It became kind of crazy, for a
while," Porter said on Monday's season premiere of "The Voice." "I definitely
had a taste of stardom."

"It was a very high-stress
environment," she explained. "And I lost myself.

"It was a time in my life where I
was using drugs and alcohol as much as possible. But, before it was too late, I
reached out for help.

"I've been sober now for eight
years. I really feel like that's when my life started."

Porter married. She and her
husband, actor Brian Autenrieth, are raising three children.

"Being a stay-at-home mom is my
favorite job I've ever done," she said. "But there's a huge part of me that's
an artist, and I need to express this side of myself as well."

To that end, Porter took a chance
on "The Voice," television's top-rated music competition.

"I've had an amazing career, but,
as much as I loved acting, none of that was genuinely who Alisan Porter is,"
she said. "In my soul, I am a singer.

"This was my last shot at really
making it in the music industry, and I don't think there's a better way to
showcase who I am than being on 'The Voice.'

"It means everything to me to
stand on a stage a sober, clear human being. A mom; a wife. And just sing a
beautiful song and have people recognize that I'm somebody who deserves a shot
at my dream."

Alisan Porter on "The Voice."

Porter, 34, performed a cover of
the Roy Orbison/Linda Ronstadt hit "Blue Bayou."

And it was really, really good.

Following the four chair turns,
she received hugs from coaches Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera. The latter
also camped out in front of the singer. Christina said, "Remember who sat up on
stage and worshipped you."

Porter began sharing her story
when the coaches asked about her acting roles. They were surprised to hear
about "Curly Sue."

"Shut up," Adam said.

"No way!" Blake Shelton added.

"Alisan, you're going to have so
much fun on this show. It's going to be a blast," Blake said. "And I'm the most
fun."

All four coaches applauded Porter's
sobriety.

"I fell in love and I had
children, and that ... was my goal - to just be a good mom," Porter said. "And I
really feel like the universe just had a plan for me, because you guys turned
for me today."

"Well, listen, I respect the
universe," coach Pharrell said. "And I know that, without those distractions,
you would not be here today.

"To see you perform so ...
eloquently - it's just amazing. I would love to have you on my team, and
garnish what it is that you have now."

Watch Alisan's performance:

Christina said, "I really am moved
by your story. Nobody works harder than a mom. ..."

"100 percent," Porter said.

"And just inside of you there's so
much to say; and people need to hear that hope," Christina continued. "And,
between your story, and those pipes of
yours, I want to be a part of your history."

Adam called Porter's performance
"the most beautiful, flawless, passionate, pitch-perfect thing I have ever
heard in my entire life. I'm astonished by you.

"You're going to win 'The Voice,'
and I believe that you can do it on my team. I really do. One hundred percent."

As Porter's husband shouted "Blake
or Adam," she contemplated her next move.

Porter said, "Oh, my gosh. There
is something in every single one of you that I admire, and will take with me on
this journey. ... I pick Christina."

After her performance, Porter
said, "I felt it. I felt a connection with her. She's a mom. She has a career.

"I love all of the coaches so
much, but she had, like, a spotlight on her the whole time. ... There's no one
better than her to kind of mentor me through."

Porter's coach said, "Alisan is
unbelievably talented. There was something about her that really spoke to me.
She has totally changed my world."

On Tuesday, Porter told BTS, "I
chose 'Blue Bayou' because I really wanted to sing a classic. I love songs from
that era. I love kind of blending folk and rock and country, so I felt like I
wanted to sing a classic with all those elements. And that was really something
that I thought would work. And I love that song."

Porter said the response she's
received since last night has been incredible.

"The past 24 hours have been kind
of crazy," she said. "Amazing - I've had just like an amazing outpouring of
support. It's been really incredible, and it's also been really incredible to
finally see everybody else's audition air. We've been doing this for a while,
and just kind of the culmination of everything we've been working for is
happening. And the response has just been really positive and amazing."